Anybody here ever had a pelvic fracture?

zanana

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:24 AM
Original message

Anybody here ever had a pelvic fracture?

My mother (84-year-old Alzheimer's patient) fell off her chair on Monday and fractured her pelvis. The ER doctor wasn't very specific about how much pain she was going to be in, length of recovery, etc. Right now, she's in alot of pain, very disoriented and terrified that I'll make her move her leg. I'd like to hear from a non-medical person about any experience they've had with a broken pelvis. HELP!

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commander bunnypants

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:26 AM
Response to Original message

1. Yep

and it hurts like a beech. I got busted up when I was 21, it took 4 months of recovery. Good luck and get her some physical therapy.

DDQM

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La_Serpiente

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:29 AM
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2. Does she have osteoporosis?

That could be even more of a problem.

Does she take calcium supplements? Does she drink milk?

Although she is old, the effect will not be as bad if she didn't have any calcium.

Also, I am not sure about Flouride in the water. You might want to research that. Flouride is somewhat controversial since the science is contradictory. It is said to make the bones porous.

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GumboYaYa

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:29 AM
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3. I had a stress fracture in my pelvis.

Edited on Thu Nov-06-03 09:34 AM by GumboYaYa

I won't sugar coat it. It was the most painful experience of my life. My fracture was on the top side of the pelvis so they did not put me on crutches. Apparently the pressure of walking pushed the bone together and helped the healing process. Every step I took caused shooting pain. It took about three months to heal.

Good luck to you and your Mom.

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zanana

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:38 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. I'm supposed to MAKE her walk!

I've been the sole caregiver for my mother for five years, and this is by far the worst thing that's happened. She's actually afraid of me! It breaks my heart to see her in so much pain, and especially to have her look at me that way--like I'm out to hurt her. She's too advanced in her Alzheimer's to understand that walking will help her bone heal, and that if she doesn't walk now, she probably never will again. She doesn't have Osteoporosis, thank God. Please, folks, send good vibes this way. I don't know how we're going to get through this.

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commander bunnypants

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:40 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. Good vibes my friend

with a little Karma

DDQM

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GumboYaYa

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Thu Nov-06-03 09:43 AM
Response to Reply #4

6. I wish you the very best.

I can completely understand why your Mother does not want to walk. Even for me, at the time a healthy twenty-something marathon runner, the pain was almost more than I could handle when I walked with the fracture. It does get better as you heal, but the first few weeks are hell.

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pansypoo53219

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Thu Nov-06-03 10:25 AM
Response to Reply #4

7. if she doesn't walk

she is destined to fade away. My grandmother just passed away after a small stroke over a year ago, because she had been obese for years and got 'fat' diabetes. she didn't have the muscle tone to help her recover.
good luck.
i think we were all relieved she finally passed because she had pain and didn't deserve it.

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soleft

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Thu Nov-06-03 10:32 AM
Response to Original message

8. My 80 year old mother broker her pelvis when she fell down some stairs

Terror is the big concern. When you're that old, that close to the final years, that fragile and vulnerable, something like falling takes a tremendous emotional toll.

My mother was so freaked out that her anxiety made her physical condition much worse. She wouldn't get out of bed and ended up perforating an intestine.

We got her on anti anxiety and anti depression meds and then she was alble to physically recover. But still, it took years off her life unfortunately. She's never been the same.

Good luck with your Mom and make sure to address her emotional and pyschological concerns.

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